BOARDING UP BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

Cities, counties and states are full of a variety of boards and commissions, many of which play a vital role in the smooth running of government.

Sadly, over the course of time, some of these bodies fall into disuse and disarray. In many cases, meetings are cancelled with regularity, which can turn into a kind of vicious cycle in which board members don’t take schedules seriously, and are more inclined to miss even those that take place. What’s more, even commissions that exist in little more than name can drain an entity of resources, including money, staff energy, initial participant enthusiasm and time.

Consider this January 2026 analysis from San Franciso’s Commission Streamlining Task Force, “San Francisco’s commission system includes 152 boards and commissions, made up of over one thousand residents who volunteer their time to shape their government, reflecting the City’s commitment to civic engagement and political activism. At its best, the system helps ensure that San Francisco’s government remains transparent, accountable, and reflective of the diverse communities it serves. However, many bodies have existed for decades without evaluation of their efficacy. Some are defunct, duplicative, or have outlived their useful purpose.”

With that in mind, the task force recommended “combining or eliminating certain bodies to reduce the total number of commission seats from approximately 1,500 to 900,” on a staggered basis.

According to a February article in SF Gate, the task force’s final report noted that "At its worst, the commission system adds layers of bureaucracy that dilute public input, obscure lines of accountability, make government less transparent, and result in duplicative or ineffective processes."

About a year ago The Louisiana Legislative Auditor explored the status of its 489 boards and identified “19 inactive Boards that do not appear to be fulfilling their established functions. Fifteen of these inactive Boards were also identified as inactive in the prior year.” Worse yet, “We identified 37 Boards that reported their status as active but have not reported any meeting notices or minutes subsequent to December 31, 2021. Also, 11 of these Boards have no board members identified on the website.”

Even when boards or commissions are functional, there are many instances in which they are little more than generators of information or reports that are ignored by anyone with the power to turn them into action.

Just a few weeks ago, the Oakland, California City auditor  reported that “City staff capacity was the top concern cited by both board members and staff liaisons. Members expressed uncertainty about their board’s influence over City decision-making, with 33 percent of members characterizing their board’s relationship with the City Council as ‘weak’ or ‘very weak,’ compared to 17 percent saying ‘strong’ or ‘very strong.’ Many members identified unclear board duties and goals as a factor inhibiting boards from running effectively. Members and staff also cited difficulties accessing information pertinent to carrying out their board’s duties.”

Ineffective or unproductive boards and commissions come with costs. In fact, cities, counties and states that allow them to continue end up establishing staff liaisons, which consume time and effort that would otherwise be used for more productive activities.

Fortunately, there are steps that entities can take to try to cut down on boards and commissions that aren’t producing productive results by sunsetting them.

Miami-Dade County, for example. has a statute that eases the way to eliminate boards through the chairperson of the board of county commissioners who may “may evaluate County boards, based on the County Mayor's recommendations and any other information that the Chairperson deems relevant, to determine whether each board shall continue in its present form,” or a be abolished consolidated or modified according to the law.

A number of factors can be taken into account, which the county spells out. These include questions about whether the board is serving the purpose for which it was created; whether the board is serving current community needs: whether there is any other board, either public or private, which would better serve the function of the board. Another consideration is the cost, both direct and indirect of maintaining the board.

Austin, Texas established something similar on December 12, 2024, which directed its city manager to take a close look at its inventory of current boards, commissions, task forces and other groups that had been established and to work with the city clerk to create a regular sunset review process, explained a June 15 memorandum from the city’s chief of staff. As a result, entities that have been disbanded, include the Austin Local Solar Advisory Committee; Airport Boulevard Advisory Group; the Regional Affordability Committee; the Austin Industrial Development Corporation and more.

Of course, it’s not always easy to eliminate boards and commissions, as well as advisory bodies, which have been established for a clear purpose. When residents believe that a particular body is representing their interests – whether or not it’s effective or necessary, there’s always a chance that they will protest its consolidation or elimination. That’s why we’d argue that taking these steps must be a very transparent process explaining exactly why the actions were justified.

#StateandLocalGovernmentManagement #StateandLocalPerformance #StateandLocalBoardAndCommisionManagement #IneffectiveStateBoardsAndCommissions #IneffectiveCityBoardsAndCommissions #IneffectiveCountyBoardsAndCommissions #StateBoardandCommissionManagement #CityBoardandCommissionManagement #CountyBoardandCommissionManagement #StateBoardandCommissionPerformance #CityBoardandCommissionPerformance #CountyBoardandCommissionPerformance #StateandLocalPerformanceAudit #CityPerformanceAudit #CountyPerformanceAudit #OaklandCityAuditor #SolutionsForIneffectiveBoardsAndCommissions #MiamiDadeCountyBoardandCommissionStatutoryApproach #OaklandBoardAndCommissionsAuditReport #AustinBoardAndCommissionSunsetReview #SanFranciscoCommissionStreamliningTaskForce #BandGReport #BarrettandGreeneInc